watson



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Shee:t 1, W. (1. WATSON. GAR COUPLING.

Patented Sept. 1'7, 1889.

W; F i fi% O 1 w 0 pm E A a Q L l .FJ UO G m w a L i a Z A A (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Shem; 2.

W. e. WATSON. OAR COUPLING.

' No. 411.176. Patented Sept. 17, 18 89.

I i I 6 e1 1 f 1 Z, 111 :11: 1 I new i1 5; 1'1 11' Wine/JIM N PETEns FhnYo-Lilwnnphor. Wazhinglon. 11C.

No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3; W. G. WATSON.

GAR COUPLING. No. 411,176.

Petented Sept. 17, 1889.

UNITED STATES PATENT DFFI E.

VILLIAM C. \VATSON, OF PATERSON, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO THEODORE Y. KINNE, OF SAME PLACE.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 111,176, dated September 17, 1889.

Application filed July 10, 1889. Serial No. 317,073. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM C. WATsoN, of Paterson, in the county of Passaio and State of New Jersey, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Car-Couplings, of

which the following is a specification.

I will describe in detail a car-coupling embodying my improvement, and then point out the novel features in claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a bottom plan view of a coupling embodying my improvement and portions of two cars. Fig. 2 is a similar view on an enlarged scale of a single car, certain parts being shown in section. Fig. 3 is an end view of one of the ears and the coupling arrangement thereon. Fig. 4 is a side view of the same. Fig. 5 is a de tail, partly in section, showing the different positions into which the coupling-hooks may be adjusted. Fig. 6 is a transverse vertical section taken on the line on 50, Fig. l.

Similar letters of reference designate corresponding parts in all the figures.

A A. designate the bottom of cars, which 2 5 may be of any suitable kind.

B designates draw-heads arranged upon the under sides of the cars and adapted to be moved lengthwise thereon. They are guided in their movements by means of guides a.

o (Shown as plates secured upon the under sides of the cars.) Upon the edges of the guides a, adjacent to the draw-heads B, there are formed notches a, in which notches extend ribs or projections a ext-endin g laterally 5 from the draw-heads. The projections prevent the movement of the draw-heads too far in one direction. The draw-heads are of frame-like construction and are hollow, their outer ends being of greater extent laterally than their inner ends and being somewhat curved to admit of the various movements of the cars relatively to each other. At their rear ends the draw-heads are provided with shanks b, which shanks are also hollow and are surrounded externally, as here shown, by coil-springs b, which coil-springs abut near one of their ends against the draw-heads and at the other against eyes 19 formed upon plates Z2 secured upon the under sides of the cars. The shanks I) extend loosely through said eyes, so that the draw-heads may move freely to and fro. The springs I) tend to re turn the draw-heads to their normal positions after they have been pressed rearwardly out of such positions. 5 5

C designates coupling-hooks, which coupling-hooks are provided with hooking or engaging heads 0 and shank portions 0. The shank portions 0 are of frame-like construction and extend rearwardly into the drawheads B. Near their rear ends they are pivoted to shanks 0 which shanks extend through the shanks 1) upon the draw-heads and to a considerable distance beyond the same. The shank portions 0 are pivoted to the shanks c by means of pivots g, which extend outwardly to the exterior of the draw heads and through longitudinally extending slots g formed therein. Near their outer ends the pivots g are shouldered, as at g in order to maintain said pivots in position within the draw-heads, and yet admit of the free longitudinal movement of the couplinghooks. I extend the portions of the pivots beyond said shoulders through 1011 gitudinallyformed slots in plates arranged upon the exteriors of the draw-heads and secured near their other ends to the draw-heads by clamping-screws The portions of the shanks 0 beyond the eyes 17 are screw-threaded and engage nuts c.

Surrounding the screw-threaded portions of the shanks c are coil-springs c, which coilsprings abutnear one of their ends against the nuts 0 and at their other ends against Washers c surrounding the shanks 0 outside the eyes b The outer extremites of the shanks 1) upon the draw-heads abut against the washers It will therefore be seen that-when the draw-heads are moved rearwardly they 0 are so moved not only against the resistance of the springs b, but also against the resistance of the springs 0 It will be further observed, however, that the couplingdiooks may have a longitudinal movement which is in- 5 dependent of the draw-heads when they are drawn outwardly, as they will be so drawn against the resistance of the springs 0 only. By this construction, should breakage occur at the shanks of the draw-heads, there can still be an independent movement of the coupling-hooks, and at the same time the draw-heads will be maintained in position at their rearward ends by the shanks 0 upon the coupling-hooks.

D designates springs (here shown as flat springs) bent in such manner as to surround pins (1, arranged in the interior of the framelike shanks of the coupling-hooks. One of the arms of the springs D bears against the shanks of the coupling-hooks and the other of said arms bears against the inner sides of the drawheads. The tendency of these springs is always to force the coupling-hooks over toward one side of the draw-heads, and

the springs are so arranged that upon adjacent cars they will operate to force the coupling-hooks in opposite directions, or, in other words, so that the heads of the coupling-hooks will be firmly engaged. By these means, what ever the movements of the cars may be in turning curves, the coupling-hooks will always be maintained in firm engagement by the springs, as they may move for considerable distances upon both sides of the center lines of the draw-heads. I have shown ranges of movements which the coupling-hooks may have more clearly in Fig. 5.

E designates pull-rods arranged beneath the cars and adjacent to the ends thereof. Near their extremities these pull-rods pass loosely through suitably-apertured guides e, secured upon the under sides of the cars. Extending from each of the pull-rods are projections 6 which projections extend through suitable apertures in the draw-heads B and are of such extent that when the pull-rods are moved toward one side of the cars they will contact with the adjacent surfaces of the coupling-hooks and force the coupling-hooks over to one side of the draw-heads against the resistance of the springs D and into a position where the hooks will be uncoupled, and also into such a position that should two cars come together while the coupling-hooks occupy such position they will not couple.

In Fig. 5 the position of the coupling-hooks shown in dotted lines at the lower side of the figure and numbered 1 is the position to which reference has just been made. The couplinghooks may also be moved into the position marked 2 in Fig. 5, in which position they will, when the cars are brought together, be coupled, as shown more clearly in Figs. 1 and 2, as the coupling-hooks are provided with' reversely extending beveled outer faces, which,when the hooks are brought together, will slide past each other. After they have passed each other, the hooks will be sprung into engagement by the springs D. The coupling-hooks may also be moved into the position marked 3 in Fig. 5 by the action of the springs D, in which position should two cars come together they would not couple. This position of the hooks will be attained when the cars are uncoupled and the projections e on the pull-rods have been removed from contact with the coupling-hooks. NVhen occupying the second and third positions just referred to the co upling-hooks are maintained therein by means of locks acting upon the pull-rods E. These locks comprise in this instance notched plates f, secured upon the under side of the car. By reference more particularly to Figs. 1 and 2 it will be seen that the pull-rods E are provided upon their rear sides with projections f The projections f extend into notches or slots f, formed in the plates f.

Referring more particularly to Fig. 6, it will be seen that the notch f consists of an upwardly-oifset portion f at the end of the plate farther from the draw-head, an upwardly-offset portion f at the end of the plate nearer the draw-head, and a downwardly-extending portion f. The pull-rod E is also a rock-shaft and extends wholly across the bottom of the car, it being provided about centrally with an offset portion f which extends downwardly and about the draw-head. Near the outer ends of the pull-rod and rockshaft E the same is provided, as here-shown, with downwardly-extending arms or handles, which may be grasped to impart a longitudinal movement to said pull-rod and also to rock it when it operates as a rock-shaft. The rocking operation is for the purpose of causing the engagement of the projection f with one or the other of the offset portions f f f 7 of the notch f in order that the couplinghook may occupy any one of the three positions specified, as desired. When the projection f extends into the portion f of the notch, the coupling-hook will. occupy the first position shown in Fig. 5. When the projection f occupies the offset portion f of the notch, the coupling-hook will be in its second position, as shown in Fig. 5, and when the projeetionf occupies the offset port-ion f of the notch the coupling-hook will be in its third position. It will therefore be seen that by rocking the pull-rod and shaft E, as desired, and moving it along not only will the coupling-hook be caused to occupy any desired position, but the pull-rodwill be locked against longitudinal movement.

J designates a crank, theportion j of which extends upwardly at the end of the car and above the roof. Said upwardly-extending portion extends throughsuitable bearings j, secured to the end of the car. The lower portion of this crank extends through a suitable aperture arranged in a projection 7' extending from the side of the pull-rod E, and in this instance about opposite the projection f The upper end of the portion j of the crank is provided with a handle j whereby the crank may be rotated. When rotated it will cause longitudinal movement of the pullrod, and by raising the crank up and down the pull rod will act as a rock-shaft,wl1icl1, when rocked, will cause the engagement of the projectionsj with any of the desired offset portions of the notch f. The upwardly-extend- ICC ing portion j of the crank extends loosely through its bearings, so that it may move or be moved freely up and down, and its weight is suflicient under certain circumstances to cause the rocking of the pull-rod and rockshaft. This operation will occur when the coupling-hook occupies its second coupling position. When in this position, and two cars are brought together, the coupling-hooks by their contact are forced laterally against the resistance of the springs D or toward their third position. The strain upon the pull-rods is thereby at once relieved, because the coupling-hooks no longer contact with the projections 6 upon the pull-rods. The weight of the cranks J will then operate to rock the rock-shafts so that the projections f will be raised against the portions of metal f which are between the offset portions f f of the notch f Then the couplinghooks have been looked together, the springs D will, when motion of the car occurs, cause the couplinghooks to swing from side to side, and thus move the projections f beneath the offset f of the notches. The weight of the crank will then further rock the rock-shaft, so as to force the said projection up into the portion f of the notch, thus locking the pull-rod against longitudinalmovement. In this position the coupling-hooks may swing freely from side to side throughout the entire width of the mouth in the draw-heads, and thus accommodate themselves to all the movements of the cars around curves and otherwise, the hooks being always maintained in engagement by the springs D. Instead of relying upon the weight of the crank J however, independent weights maybe applied to the rock-shafts or a spring might be employed.

\Vhat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-- 1. In a car-coupling, the combination,with a draw-head, of a coupling-hook pivoted within the same, a spring acting on said couplinghook to force it in one direction, a pull-rod extending upon both sides of said draw-head and adapted to contact with the couplinghook to move the latter in one direction, and a lock for securing said pull-rod in a position into which it may be adjusted, substantially as specified.

2. In a car-coupling, the combination, with a draw-head, of a coupling-hook pivoted within the same, a spring for moving said couplinghook in one direction, a pull-rod extending upon both sides of said draw-head and'having a portion adapted to cont-act with the coupling-hook to move it in one direction, said pull-rod also constituting a rock-shaft, an arm, and a notched piece with which said arm engages to'lock said combined pull-rod and shaft against longitudinal movement, substantially as specified.

3. In a car-coupling, the combination, with a draw11ead, of a coupling-hook pivoted within the same, a spring for moving said couplinghook in one direction, a pull-rod extending to opposite sides of said draw-head and adapted to contact with the coupling-hook to move it in one direction, a lock for securing said pull-rod in a position into which it may be adjusted, and a crank for causing the unlocking of said lock, substantially as specified.

4. In a car-coupling, the combination, with a draw-head provided with a shank upon its rear end, of a spring surrounding said shank and operating to force the draw head forward, a coupling-hook pivoted within said draw-head and provided with a shank extending through the shank of the drt w-head, and a second spring surrounding said shank of the coupling-hook beyond the spring first named and operating to draw said couplinghook inwardly, substantially as specified.

\VILLIAM. C. \VATSON.

\Vitnesses:

FREDK. I-lAYNEs, JOHN BIUKET. 

